Five of our Ryevitalise projects were directly focused on supporting a number of vulnerable species, including the rare alcathoe bat, as well as ancient and veteran trees.
Discover what we did with the support of farmers, landowners, land managers and a dedicated team of volunteers and citizen scientists.
1) Bat Acoustic Monitoring
What?
The Ryevitalise bat monitoring project was a landscape scale citizen science project, that used passive detectors to record bat species and distribution within the landscape.
How?
The project used passive acoustic detector equipment that was deployed by the public and volunteers. These frequency triggered detectors then recorded for up to four nights at a time before being collected. The recorded sound files were then uploaded to the BTO’s acoustic pipeline for analysis.
Why?
This project gathered data on the types of bats (and some other animals such as small mammals and moths) and their distribution in the landscape. It helped to guide potential conservation measures and decisions, that then helped to increase roost sites and food sources, and improve habitat connectivity.
Latest achievements
Discover more
Have a read of the results from our 2020, 2021 and 2022 reports put together in partnership with the British Trust for Ornithology.
2) Ancient and Veteran tree recording
What?
The Ryevitalise ancient and veteran tree recording project was a citizen science project that recorded the locations, details, and assessed the health and condition of our oldest trees.
How?
Volunteers received formal training on survey techniques and were then assigned a specific area to go and survey. These areas had been identified as potentially containing veteran and ancient trees and access was agreed with the landowner or manager. Various measurements and observations were taken of the potential trees and this data was then uploaded to the Ancient Tree Inventory hosted by the Woodland Trust. Once uploaded, the records were verified.
Why?
Ancient and veteran trees are incredibly important for the ecology of woodlands, supporting everything from insects and fungi to birds and bats. For this project, our bats were of particular interest as ancient trees are critical for their summer roosts. By combining ancient tree surveying with bat monitoring, we aimed to develop a deeper knowledge of the key bat populations and how they use our ancient trees.
Key achievements so far
3) Monitoring riverflies and water quality
What?
How?
Following the Riverfly Partnership Riverfly Monitoring method, a team of trained volunteers conducted a standardised kick sample and stone search at an assigned location at least once a month from May to October.
The volunteers also took pH readings of the water, and tested the levels of Nitrates, Nitrites, and Phosphates. All the data was then uploaded to the Anglers Riverfly Monitoring Initiative portal, where any breaches in a predetermined trigger level were notified promptly to local bodies such as the EA to advise of potential problems.
Why?
Riverflies are freshwater invertebrates that spend all or part of their life living in a river, stream, or body of water. They are a key indicator species group, sensitive to pollution and changes in the river, and monitoring their presence, abundance and diversity on a regular basis is a useful way to assess the water quality of a river.
Key achievements so far
4) Juvenile fish population monitoring
What?
This volunteer project occurred annually in the Autumn, and sought to record the species and abundance of freshwater fish populations within the River Rye catchment.
How?
After a formal training course, a small volunteer team led by a member of staff used an Electro Fishing survey method to retain a representative sample of fish species present within the watercourse. Fish were attracted to the current, removed safely, and then various measurements were taken before being released back into the watercourse.
Why?
Fish are an ecological indicator of the quality of aquatic habitats. This monitoring programme was another method by which Ryevitalise could gain information and data about the health and status of the River Rye catchment. The data pointed towards problems with habitat connectivity and the functional aquatic processes of the river, as well as the status of migratory fish species such as Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and sea trout (the anadromous form of brown trout, Salmo trutta).
Key achievements so far
Discover more
Find out more by downloading our 'Rivers Rye and Esk, Fish Monitoring Report 2021-2022'
5) Butterfly monitoring programme
What?
The Ryevitalise Butterfly monitoring programme collected data about the different butterfly species found on several transect sites within the Rye catchment.
How?
Led by a Ryevitalise team member, a trained group of volunteers carried out transects surveys. Transects follow a set route which was walked each week, recording any butterfly seen within 5m of the transect line.
Why?
We survey butterflies to gain a knowledge of the species in certain areas and habitats. This is useful as it can show certain population trends in species in specific areas. Surveying butterflies also allows us to understand the ecology of the site as well as the conservation value. The surveys gave an insight to how successful current management work was on some of the sites.
Latest achievements
